Merry Christmas, Gentlemen

[Oddmund Garvik <garvik@i-t.fr>]

Back in old Paris after a couple of weeks in Norway, I had to use the
<Delete> button for a while. I also deleted what has been called the
"mugged" stuff, even if I think that this was one of the more interesting
discussions we had recently. 

I went to Norway with a (Leica M!!!) colleague/friend. We are preparing a
story/photo essay on whaling. I didn't bring a photobag this time. I had
just put my FM with a Angenieux 70-210 mm between the clothes in my luggage.
As a matter of fact I didn't use it. Three pocket cameras (two Rollei 35's &
one Contax TVS) were enough and perfect on this quite rugged trip. The only
"heavy" stuff I brought was a Sunpak Autopro 120J-DX open bulb flash and a
Gitzo mini tripod. It is dark in Norway at this time of the year, and I used
the flash with the optional flash adapter for the TVS, and with the Rolleis,
fixed to the mini tripod. The other guy was carrying around with his Domke
full of M-Leicas and an FM with a 200 mm lens. I felt free and happy.

I am very satisfied with my Rollei 35, and I bought another one in London on
our way to Norway. I bought the TVS without "User Guide", so in the
beginning I had no idea about the customizing possibilities. I got the
booklet from Kyocera France, and I have now set default flash OFF mode when
the camera is switched on. I have also set the default for autofocus to
"focus when the shutter button is touched but not pressed" mode, which
shortens the delay between shutter press and actual exposure. The delay now
is theoretical.

Well, we both got pictures, and most of them were good. The Contax and
Rollei negs (Tri X, from ISO 100 to ISO 1600) are sometimes a bit more
contrasted ("hard") than the M-negs, but this is easy to compensate in the
darkroom. I have definitely found out how well this minimum equipment
concept works.

Another friend of mine went 6 months to Mongolia last year with only one TVS
as a camera. He had an exhibition afterwards, with very impressive pictures
from the daily life there. It was an event that opened up my eyes in a way,
and helped me make my decision to get rid of the heavy stuff. It is really
great to use light equipment. And let us not forget that this was an
important part of the original Leica/Barnack concept.

You may continue believing that Leica is the best brand in the world. I
continue believing a "best" system doesn't exist, and I don't think Leica
makes the "best" equipment. It is all the time a question about situation,
use, and personal preferences. Trying to proof what is "good for you", or
what is the "best" for everybody, has some "religious" overtones that I
dislike very much. But I know there are such "religious" tendencies in the
Leica community. Leica Camera continues cooking the same soup for us,
repeating all the old "philosophy" which made the Leica a legend during the
years. When you are cooking like this, the English way, adding water, water,
water (ahem...), the soup becomes quite clear and tasteless after a while. 

It is some sort of a convention that Leica M is superior in street
photography etc. I am not quite sure about that any more. I have been using
the Contax TVS and the Rollei 35's for a while, and I had a Contax T2 for a
couple of years. The T2 quite soon became a substitute for my M6. When you
get used to it, you know how to deal with the AF "delay", and also the less
accurate viewfinder. Now I use the TVS most of the time. It has an external
passive AF system, and I have not seen any focusing problems so far. Like
with any camera you have to know where to focus of course and avoid
trembling. The final result is indistinguishable from my former M work, so
why should I miss my Leica M ? 

The only "thing" which is particular with the M, is the "feeling" and the
image that the M gives you as a photographer or as a person. But this is
uncertain and not important, at least if the goal is to bring back pictures,
photos, or whatever you call it.      

Concerning lens quality, I don't think Schneider, Leica, Zeiss, Angenieux
a/o lenses are performing better than good Nikon/Canon/Minolta/Pentax/etc.
lenses. There might be a difference in "feeling", but even that is
overestimated. German lenses generally have a more neutral color balance
(colder) than most japanese lenses, that's all. The Leica "glow" is in my
opinion an anachronism and very relative. Under perfect conditions you can
make good pictures with most cameras, if you know how to use them. 

With these words I wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Oddmund